The haj [antikvár]

In order to spend the years necessary to travel, research, and write a novel such as The Haj, the writer must necessarily become a self-centered creator and is apt to test the 'strength of his relationships. My wife, Jill, embraced this project with no less devotion than myself. She unselfishly gave everything: compassion, loyalty, love. She took care of me, often in dark and dangerous places. And importantly, she made a major contribution by her astute and wise advice during the writing. These pages could scarcely have been written without such a partner at my side.I was already aware from writing Trinity that my research associate, Diane Eagle, possessed a mystical quality of understanding what I was trying to say and what the story required. The Haj was a ponderous challenge for any researcher. She answered by puiling a thousand and one brilliant reports. Each day when I went into battle at the typewriter, the facts in these reports were close at hand and immediate assistance was only an office away. She not only added considerably to the background and authenticity of the novel, she lightened my work load immensely. Mostly, I want to thank Diane as a buddy for her unfaltering friendship to Jill and me.